The well-known electric light bulb, or incandescent light bulb, has had a monumental impact on modern society. The ability to conveniently illuminate areas without sunlight has enabled a vast range of human activities.
Subsequent to the development of the incandescent light bulb, another lighting element, the fluorescent light bulb, was developed.
With both incandescent and fluorescent lighting elements to choose from, a pattern emerged in which incandescent lighting tended to be used by non-industrial, non-institutional consumers, typically in the home environment, while fluorescent lighting tended to be selected by large users of lighting, typically in industrial or institutional environments (e.g., businesses and schools). Fluorescent lights have historically been available in the form of long tubes, as compared to the much smaller form factor of the incandescent light bulb. However, fluorescent lighting was, and is, attractive to its users because, generally, a greater amount of light can be obtained from fluorescent lights per unit of energy consumed, as compared to incandescent lights. Although fluorescent lighting elements may be more energy efficient than incandescent lighting, consumers have preferred incandescent lights for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, initial cost, color temperature, and small form factor.
In more recent times, the ability to reduce energy consumption has become increasingly important. Concurrently with greater demand for energy reduction technologies, small form factor fluorescent lighting elements have been introduced to the consumer marketplace. Such a small form factor fluorescent light bulb may also be referred to as a compact fluorescent light (CFL). Many compact fluorescent bulbs feature integral ballasts, or circuitry, so that these bulbs may be used in the same sockets into which conventional incandescent bulbs fit. In other words, compact fluorescent lights typically include a screwbase that fits existing incandescent light bulb sockets, and that screwbase includes the necessary ballast circuitry to operate the fluorescent bulb. By enabling direct physical replacement of incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs have reduced the barriers to acceptance by consumers. Given the desire to reduce energy consumption and the ease of making the switch to compact fluorescent lighting, the volume of these lighting elements sold into the consumer market is expected to increase rapidly.
One disadvantage of direct physical replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights is that compact fluorescent lights are not compatible with the dimmer controls that form a part of the vast installed base of incandescent lighting infrastructure.
What is needed are methods and apparatus for providing compact fluorescent lights that are compatible with incandescent lighting infrastructure including the conventional dimmer circuits originally intended for use with incandescent light bulbs.